Panther Post

Dear RNMS Families,

I wanted to take a moment to reflect on another exciting week here at Rye Neck Middle School. It’s been wonderful to see our students engaged in such meaningful experiences, and their energy and enthusiasm continue to make our community special.

Today was particularly eventful! Our 8th graders set off for their trip to Philadelphia, where they explored the city and deepened their understanding of history. Meanwhile, our 6th and 12th graders participated in Buddy Day, building connections between our youngest and oldest learners on campus. Watching these relationships grow is always inspiring, and the positive impact is felt by both groups. The day wrapped up with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for our new parking lot and bike path, marking an exciting improvement for our campus!

Next week is shaping up to be just as exciting:

• Tuesday: We welcome author Vicki Jamieson, writer of When Stars Are Scattered. Our students have been eagerly anticipating this visit, especially since it ties in with their summer reading.
• Wednesday: Students will have an early release to give staff time to work on the district’s strategic plan, focusing on Goal 2—creating transformative environments that enhance learning.
• Friday: The week wraps up with our annual Spooktacular! It’s sure to be a fun and festive way for students to celebrate together.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership. I hope you and your family have a relaxing and enjoyable weekend!

Best,
Jason Doerr
Principal

Next Week:

• October 21:
• i-Ready Make Ups, 7:50 AM Period 1

• October 22:
• i-Ready Make Ups, 7:50 AM Period 1
  
• Author Visit - Victoria Jamieson

• October 23:
• PD Early Release Day, 1:15 PM Dismissal

• October 25:
• Spooktacular, 6:30 PM Dining Hall

On the Horizon:

• October 30:
• BOE Planning Session, 6:30 PM
• November 5:
• Superintendent's Conference Day - Staff Only
• November 8:
• Marking Period 1 Ends

We’re thrilled to share that starting Monday, October 21st, the Panther’s Den will officially open! Located in the library (just left of the Community Room), this space offers students a refreshing change of pace during their lunch period.

At the Panther’s Den, students can relax, chat, play games, enjoy activities, color, draw, journal, and have lunch—while also meeting new friends and recharging for the afternoon!

Since space is limited to 8-10 students per day, a Google Form will be sent out every Thursday for sign-ups for the following week. Students can select their preferred day, though adjustments may be made based on interest.

We’re excited to provide this new opportunity and can’t wait to see students enjoy the space! If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Ms. Barilli, Ms. Crivorot, Mrs. Lawlor, or Mrs. Sullivan.

Today's Buddy Day was a great success! Our 6th graders connected with a 12th-grade buddy for a fun day of games and relationship-building. It’s was such a wonderful experience for both our youngest and oldest students on our campus. Please check out some pictures below:

Today, we officially commemorated the opening of our new bike path and parking lot with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Dr. Lutinski had the honor of cutting the ribbon, joined by members of the Board of Education, community representatives, staff, and students. It was a wonderful event that marked an exciting improvement to our campus, and we look forward to how these improvements will benefits our students.

Thanks to the PTSA, our middle schoolers now have a chance to win prizes just for biking or walking to school next week!

Here’s how it works:

• When students arrive, those who biked or walked will receive a raffle ticket.
• A winning ticket will be drawn during the morning announcements, and the lucky student will win a gift card to a local business.

With a new chance to win every day next week, it’s a great incentive to get active! Check out the flyer below for more details.

Happy biking and walking!

ELA i-Ready Make Ups: Parents of students needing to complete or make up their assessments were notified today. Please ensure your child reports to the library on Monday morning (10/21) to finish their assessment. Tuesday will also be available for makeups if needed, but if students complete their assessment on Monday, they do not need to attend on Tuesday.

Author Visit - Victoria Jamieson: We are excited to welcome Victoria Jamieson to our school on Tuesday, 10/22! Victoria, the co-author of When Stars Are Scattered, our summer reading book, will meet with each grade throughout the day. During her visit, she will also lead a writer’s workshop and host a book signing. We look forward to an inspiring and engaging day!

Early Dismissal on Wednesday, 10/23: We will continue our work on the Strategic Plan with an early release day on Wednesday, October 23rd. Middle school students will be dismissed at 1:15 p.m. Due to the adjusted schedule, Period 2 will begin at 8:25 a.m. instead of the usual 8:33 a.m.

Safety Drill Notification: This is to inform you the week of October 21st we will be conducting a fire drill. The purpose of this drill is to ensure the safety and preparedness of our students and staff in case of an emergency. We conduct these drills regularly as part of our commitment to maintaining a safe learning environment. Please rest assured that this is only a drill and not an actual emergency. For any questions or concerns, feel free to contact us.

Spooktacular: TIME IS RUNNING OUT TO PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS! We invite your child to join us for a fun-filled evening on Friday, October 25th, from 6:30-8:30 PM in the MS/HS Dining Hall. There will be games, music, food, and plenty of opportunities to celebrate Halloween with friends—in costume, of course! Tickets are $15 per student, and you can purchase them here by Wednesday, October 23rd. We can’t wait to see everyone dressed up and ready for a great time!

Please take a moment to review what our 7th graders have been studying in their classes, as well as the exciting topics they will be exploring in the upcoming weeks:

English

• What Students Have Learned:

• In the Short Stories unit, students reviewed literary elements like symbolism and author’s purpose.

• They completed the baseline NYS ELA practice exam and the online i-Ready exam to assess phonics, vocabulary, and reading comprehension.

• Students have started reading The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, exploring themes through character rubrics, vocabulary activities, and class discussions.

• What’s Next:

• Students will dive deeper into The Outsiders with a focus on vocabulary, characterization, plot, and conflict.

• They will also read one independent book per month, each culminating in a creative project.

Math

• Math 7:

• What Students Have Learned: Identifying, adding, and subtracting rational numbers.

• What’s Next: Students will move on to multiplying and dividing rational numbers.

• Advanced Math:

• What Students Have Learned: Reviewed ratios and proportional relationships and began working with percentages.

• What’s Next: Students will continue applying percentage concepts to real-world situations, such as tax, gratuity, markups, and commissions.

Social Studies

• What Students Have Learned:

• Students explored the 13 English colonies, comparing early colonization efforts in Roanoke, Jamestown, and Plymouth.

• They studied the Puritans' influence on New England and their intolerance toward others.

• What’s Next:

• Students will work on a project about the Middle and Southern colonies.

• The unit will conclude with a test, and review guides will be provided to help students prepare.

Science

• What Students Have Learned:

• Students completed the introductory skills unit, focusing on writing scientific procedures, calculating the rate of change, and identifying variables.

• They conducted experiments to deepen their understanding of these concepts.

• What’s Next:

• Students will begin the first chemistry unit on chemical reactions, focusing on atomic structure and the periodic table.

World Languages

• Italian:

• What Students Have Learned: Students learned greetings, dates, phone numbers, zip codes, and how to express times of day.

• What’s Next: They will work on using physical and personality adjectives to describe themselves and others.

• French:

• What Students Have Learned: Students focused on vocabulary related to school and common activities, and practiced conjugating regular verbs.

• What’s Next: They will apply their language skills in realistic social scenarios among friends.

• Spanish:

• What Students Have Learned: Students practiced expressing likes and dislikes, agreeing and disagreeing with others, and met teens from Mexico, Costa Rica, Spain, and Texas through a VideoHistoria activity.

• What’s Next: Students will use photos of themselves and their surroundings to create captions inspired by their VideoHistoria characters for a classroom display.

Future Updates: Please see the below schedule we will use to spotlight different grades and programs in upcoming newsletters:

• October 25th – 6th Grade
• November 1st – Arts/Physical Education
• November 8th – 8th Grade
• November 15th – 7th Grade

• Ms. Graney used the QFT in her science class to explore mixtures and compounds. Students collaborated to generate questions about how different elements combine and interact in energy drinks, guiding their own investigations into the differences between mixtures and compounds.

• Ms. Druker applied the QFT in her class to explore gardens in preparation for their work with the novel Seedfolks. Her students developed questions about different types of gardens, where one can garden, and the care required to maintain a garden.

By using the QFT, both teachers guided students in developing essential inquiry skills, reinforcing what it means to be #PantherProblemSolvers: asking meaningful questions, engaging deeply with content, and thinking critically about the world around them!

Please stay tuned for October's Students of the Month in a future issue of the newsletter. In the meantime, please check out the criteria we use to nominate students:

The Student of the Month Program aims to recognize students who make meaningful contributions to our school community, both inside and outside the classroom. This program celebrates those who demonstrate a love for learning and a commitment to personal growth, regardless of academic standing. Here are some of the reasons students are nominated:

• Classroom Progress
• Grade Improvement
• Leadership Qualities
• Strong Engagement
• Kindness and Consideration
• Outstanding Attitude
• Community Involvement
• Personal Growth
• Exemplary Character
• Individual Achievement

Intramurals: Please see the information/schedule for 6th grade intramural sports below:

6th grade intramural sessions will take place from 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM on the dates below. Intramural sports:

• are run by Rye Neck Coaches.

• will consist of skill development and scrimmaging.
  

• require your child to be registered on FamilyID using this link: 6th Grade Intramurals

• only run on days when school is in session.
  

Please note that while attendance is not mandatory for participation, if you sign up we ask that you make every attempt to attend each day. A student may register for multiple sessions/sports.

Please see the schedule below:

Use of Library: Students have the opportunity to come to the Library before, during, and after school. Library hours are typically from 7:50 am until 4:00 pm and we try to give you advance notice if there is a change to the posted hours.

Clubs: Middle school clubs have started. Take a moment to review this chart of MS Club Offerings with your child to see which clubs catch their interest. There’s no sign-up required—just show up after school on the designated day. Students have also reviewed these options with their teachers during homeroom.

Crossing Hornidge Road: For everyone's safety, students should only cross Hornidge Road at the designated crosswalk on Post Road. Please avoid cutting through private property or crossing the street outside of the crosswalk, as it can create unsafe situations.

Important Change in Crossing Guard Location: The crossing guard stationed at the front of F.E. Bellows is being moved from the crosswalk on Carroll Ave. directly in front of the FEB entrance to the crosswalk at the intersection of Carroll Ave. and Route 1/Boston Post Rd. The hours of coverage will remain the same and new pedestrian crossing signs will be posted at the FEB crosswalk on Carroll Ave. The change began on Tuesday, October 15th. Drivers are reminded that pedestrians have the right of way in all crosswalks and at intersections with marked or unmarked crosswalks as per New York State law.

Cell Phones: Students have been doing great so far following our cell phone policy. Please continue to discuss with them that (as per our Student Handbook) cell phones and other electronic devices are not to be used in the school building during school hours unless authorized by a teacher for special classroom purposes. If electronic devices are used on the way to and from school, they are to be kept locked in students' lockers. Failure to follow this rule can result in confiscation of these items and they will be returned only to parents. Please make sure to send a lock in with your child so they may secure their cell phones and other devices in their lockers.

Important Documents (please review with your child!):

Student Handbook

Technology Acceptable Use Policy

Village of Mamaroneck Bicycle Safety Brochure

Ongoing Feedback: To gather more feedback from parents, we invite you to use this Google Form below to share your questions, comments, concerns, or ideas. While submissions can be made anonymously, please include your name and contact information if you would like a direct response.

Effective School Solutions Workshop (Spanish Language):

Cheerleading Opportunities:

Booster Club Announcements: